thea p u b l i c a t i o n o f G a b r i e l G r o u p

FA L L 20 1 8

MESSENGER

Gabriel Group | The Messenger | Fall 2018 1

inside GG’s Approach to Relationship Building The 3 Deadly Sins of Monthly Donor Fundraising Pay-It-Forward Spotlight on KidSmart Membership Consultants Makes a Difference

HERE’S A THOUGHT … imagine your direct mail programs incorporated into a widespread digital initiative managed by a third party who sends out all correspondence on your behalf and links your donors to a landing page of your choosing — all at little to no cost to you.

Sound intriguing?

Lucky for you, this exact scenario can now be your reality with USPS Informed Delivery campaigns, brought to you by Gabriel Group.

At face value, Informed Delivery is a digital sneak peek of what’s in your mailbox. When users sign up, USPS will automatically send them a daily email that contains scanned images of mailpieces that are scheduled to arrive soon. In addition, Informed Delivery offers interactive campaigns that allow mail owners to create a ride-along image that directs those on their mailing list to a pre-determined URL, as well as an option to replace the original scanned image with a full-color representative image of their choosing. Informed Delivery even provides data and reporting, so each campaign comes with its very own set of results and key metrics (number of subscribers, email opens, click-through rates, etc).

With over 12 million users nationwide now registered and an email open rate of 70%, this new opportunity is a no-brainer for your nonprofit and, more importantly, your fundraising goals.

By generating multiple impressions from a single mailpiece, driving your response rate with interactive content and using the ability to reach donors digitally by merely knowing their physical address, your ROI is sure to benefit.

Informed Delivery Campaigns: Multichannel Marketing Reimagined

LOOKING TO DRIVE ONLINE DONATIONS? GAIN SOCIAL MEDIA FOLLOWERS? INCREASE ATTENDANCE AT YOUR

FUNDRAISING EVENTS?

THIS IS YOUR CHANCE.

Ready for the kicker? Adding a basic campaign to your mailing will run you $275 at the very most. So go ahead and give us a call today. Bigger, better, low-cost fundraising results are waiting … w

Representative Image (Optional)

Full-color image Displays in place of scanned mailpiece Correlates to mailpiece Customized branding

Ride-along Image with link to URL Clickable image Call to action Reinforces the business objective

2 Fall 2018 | The Messenger | Gabriel Group

WITH ART KERCKHOFF

FOUNDER AND PRINCIPAL

1 YOU DON’T PERSONALIZE MESSAGING TO THEM

We’re not talking the basics here. Yes, variable data including first name, last gift amount and location are always appreciated. But what about something a little more special than that? Showing your monthly donors that you’re willing to go above and beyond to acknowledge their commitment to your organization’s vision is vital in maintaining a strong relationship. Consider investing in something fun and thoughtful like an anniversary program. Each year, send your monthly donors a unique “thank you” or personalized gift to commemorate each year of regular giving that they contribute to your nonprofit. Simple, easy and effective!

3 Mistakes You Might Be Making with Your Monthly Donors

2 YOU DON’T ALLOW THEM TO GROW WITH YOU

Getting complacent with your monthly giving numbers can really get you in trouble down the line. The key to avoiding this trap is to always give your donors a reason and an option to upgrade — and don’t skimp on the details. If $50 more a month will double your donor’s impact … tell them. If they’re close to joining your elite giving society … let them know. If you work hard at fostering a sense of significance, there’s no reason they won’t want to support you more and more as time goes on. These people are already invested in your future, so make sure they’re a part of it!

THERE’S NO DOUBT ABOUT IT — your monthly donors are the most at-risk group of being taken for granted when it comes to your giving pool. After all, they’ve already committed to being regular contributors to your cause. What more work is there to do?

Plenty. Read on below to find out what you might be missing when it comes to your most loyal of donors …

Continued on page 3

Winged WordsFriend,

We’ve all heard people say that relationships are hard work, but we’re not so sure. While it’s true that they take dedication, they are some of the most rewarding experiences we have, whether in life or in business.

Back in 1986, Gabriel Group was given the chance to start relationships with nonprofit organizations just like yours, and they have been some of the most meaningful relationships we’ve had ever since. The opportunity to make a real difference in our community and communities across the country and around the world through the work we do every day is what gets us out of bed in the morning. While there’s effort involved, we couldn’t be happier to be a part of the movement for good.

This year, as we approach year end, you and your team have the exciting opportunity to build new relationshipswith so many new donors. With that influx of first time supporters, there will be work involved, but know thatGabriel Group can help ease the burden. Because when it comes to acknowledging, stewarding and upgradingdonors, there are not many things that we do better. We may be great at soliciting gifts, but we also understandthat donors need a little TLC, so we can help you say “thank you” quickly and effortlessly, report back on theprogress made because of gifts and help you take your relationships to the next level.

THEY SAY IF YOU DO SOMETHING YOU LOVE, YOU’LL NEVER WORK A DAY IN YOUR LIFE, AND OUR RELATIONSHIPS WITH OUR PARTNERS ARE NO DIFFERENT.

Ready to find out what makes Gabriel Group so unique? Give us a call today.

All my best,

Gabriel Group | The Messenger | Fall 2018 3

Back to School for KidSmartTHE FALL IS A QUINTESSENTIAL TIME FOR CHANGE. Colors become brighter, the air gets crisp and — like clockwork — kids go back to school. But for many children in the St. Louis area, this yearly transition doesn’t come so gracefully. More than 90,000 children here live in poverty and often attend school without basic supplies. This is where our 2018 Pay-It-Forward recipient, KidSmart, steps in to implement the biggest change of all.

Every August, KidSmart rolls out an incredible initiative to combat the challenges students face when it comes to going back to school prepared and ready to learn. Push for Pencils is a community-wide school supply drive and is the largest of its kind in Missouri. The movement is 100% grassroots and includes nearly 200 participating businesses and more than 50,000 employees and individuals throughout St. Louis. This year, Gabriel Group answered the call and joined the campaign to give every child a chance to have the learning tools and educational experience they need to succeed not only in school, but in life as well.

Each year, an amazing 500,000 items are collected via Push for Pencils and are directly distributed to thousands of local children through the KidSmart Free Educational Supply Store. This resource is available to educators who teach at 160+ St. Louis area schools to shop at for free in order to equip their students with desperately needed supplies. Through the Free Store alone, KidSmart distributes $38,000 in free school supplies to students every single day. Gabriel Group couldn’t be prouder to be a part of this inspiring movement to arm St. Louis’ young learners with everything they need to thrive in the classroom. Check out our Push for Pencils contributions on the right to see what went into the 5,000+ donations we collected as a company!

The power of change: strong, extraordinary and, when done well, life altering. As our time supporting KidSmart comes to a close in 2018, we hope that the spirit of the fall season continues to drive all of us at Gabriel Group forward as we pay-it-forward today, tomorrow and beyond. To the future! w

pay it

FORWARD

GABRIEL GROUP PUSH FOR PENCILS CONTRIBUTIONS ITEMS NEEDED QUANTITIES COLLECTED

PENCILS 2,719PENS 935

LOOSE LEAF PAPER PACKS 52SPIRAL NOTEBOOKS 764

MARKER PACKS 208COLORED PENCILS PACKS 121

CRAYON BOXES 190GLUE STICKS/BOTTLES 151

ERASERS 4FOLDERS 148SCISSORS 19

PENCIL BOXES 25BACKPACKS 88

BINDERS 4MONETARY DONATIONS $296

3 Mistakes You Might Be Making … Continued from page 2

3 YOU DON’T LEARN FROM THEM

Although Gabriel Group’s Donor Insight Survey is known for being a fantastic way of uncovering planned giving leads, it’s also a great way to learn about your donors, directly from them. If there’s one thing we’ve learned from the 50+ surveys we’ve sent out on behalf of our clients, it’s that donors deeply appreciate being a part of the conversation (as shown in our average 10–15% response rate!). The opportunity to get your donors’ feedback is truly invaluable when it comes to future strategic

planning. Make sure and ask your monthly donors how they heard about you, why they started giving and — most importantly — why they made the commitment to become a monthly donor in the first place. You’ll be glad you did.

Don’t get caught dropping the ball on your monthly donor stewardship efforts — let Gabriel Group help instead. Whether it’s assisting you with your creative development goals or direct mail production needs, we’re in your corner every step of the way. Reach out to us today to get started. w

4 Fall 2018 | The Messenger | Gabriel Group

Gabriel Group | 3190 Rider Trail South | Earth City, MO 63045 | 314.743.5700 | Toll Free 888.576.6145 | gabrielgroup.com

71304

Connect with us! @GabrielGroup

IN 2018, Utah’s Hogle Zoo partnered with Membership Consultants in order to create a fresh approach to their membership initiatives as well as their creative focus and messaging. Their goal was to improve results in their direct mail acquisition and renewal efforts.

In celebration of the Zoo’s new red panda exhibit, Membership Consultants created a fun, animal-focused campaign that invited people to meet the Zoo’s latest additions. The Zoo also identified their “Big Six” animals of focus for their conservation efforts.

This enhanced focus on membership in the creative strategy told the story of Utah’s Hogle Zoo and the animals in their care, resulting in amazing outcomes for the Zoo’s membership program.

The direct mail campaign was sent to 225,000 households and was supported by an email series that helped boost overall results and the bottom line. The campaign results exceeded projections while resulting in …

A 1.26% RESPONSE RATE 3,722 NEW/RENEWED MEMBERS A $175 AVERAGE GIFT OVER $651,000 IN REVENUE A $5.22 ROI FOR EVERY DOLLAR SPENT

Additionally, the overall net revenue of the program exceeded the prior year’s results by $189,000!

Interested in learning more about how Membership Consultants can impact your membership goals? Contact Dana at dana@membership-consultants.com or 314.771.4664 ext. 105. w

Lions, Tigers and Amazing Results for Hogle Zoo!In case you missed it in our last edition of The Messenger, Gabriel Group is now the proud parent company of Membership Consultants — a full-service membership marketing agency! Check out one of their latest success stories below to get an idea of how they’re helping membership organizations around the country exceed their goals.

Lions, Tigers, Polar Bears and…RED PANDAS – oh my!Join Now and visit the animals ALL YEAR!

Utah’s Hogle Zoo2600 East Sunnyside AvenueSalt Lake City, UT 84108hoglezoo.org

JOIN AND SAVE 10% ON YOUR UTAH’S HOGLE ZOO

MEMBERSHIP!

I would like more information about Gabriel Group’s following service offerings:

Full-service Fundraising Membership Services Informed Delivery Campaigns Newsletters

Call Anna at 314.743.5796 or email anna.mcnulty@gabrielgroup.com to talk to us about how we can help your nonprofit thrive.

Anna McNultyGabriel Group3190 Rider Trail SouthEarth City, MO 63045-1518

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